When it comes to the Aquarium, you name it, Richard Schwartz
has done it: board member, donor, employee and volunteer.
B Y M E L I S S A VA L L I A N T

Photographed by Tracey Brown

I

f you’ve ever visited the National Aquarium on a weekend, there’s a good chance you’ve
encountered Richard Schwartz. He’s often roaming the walkways of Shark Alley on Saturdays, carrying something resembling an archaic weapon and presenting it to inquisitive
guests. Don’t worry—he’s a volunteer. And the “weapon” is actually the rostrum, or nose
extension, of a sawfish, a type of ray that’s frequently mistaken for a shark and is recognizable
by the saw-like appendage protruding from its body.
Schwartz has been a volunteer exhibit guide at the Aquarium since 1988 and loves using
props to engage guests. That said, sometimes the exhibits do the work for him. Take the
tarantula in Upland Tropical Rain Forest, for instance. Partially hidden within a log, the large
arachnid often goes unnoticed. Schwartz loves exposing its hiding place to surprised guests
and observing the variety of reactions. “Some people get scared,” he says. “Some run past me.
Others are like, ‘Where? Where is it?’”
As a 26-year volunteer, Schwartz knows all the ins and outs of the Aquarium. But his role
in the organization’s history extends far beyond that of other veterans—because he’s played
all the roles: volunteer, paid employee, board member and donor.
Back in 1990, just as personal computers were entering offices worldwide, the Aquarium
hired Schwartz as a paid employee. He was tasked with purchasing the organization’s first
PCs and setting them up for staff. You might say he was our first IT specialist.
A decade later, he found
himself on the board of directors,
where he remained a member for
AS A 26-YEAR VOLUNTEER,
nine years. But his involvement
with the Aquarium didn’t stop
SCHWARTZ KNOWS ALL THE INS there. In addition to offering
his time, effort and guidance,
AND OUTS OF THE AQUARIUM.
Schwartz has helped fund several
of our exhibits. His first donation dates back to the early 1990s,
when he presented the Aquarium with a generous monetary gift to support the development
of our dolphin exhibit. It was dedicated to his parents, Joseph and Corinne Schwartz, who
were also devoted philanthropists and had instilled in Richard the importance of giving.
In fact, the Schwartz family’s gifts to the National Aquarium predate the building’s
opening in 1981. Joseph was searching for a way to give back to the city of Baltimore around
the time of the Aquarium’s construction and made a donation to help fund one of the first
exhibits. He and his family were given the full tour before opening day, igniting that first
spark in Richard that led to his longtime relationship with the organization.
In addition to what’s now called Dolphin Discovery, Richard’s donations over the years
have helped fund the opening of a North American tide pools exhibit called Children’s Cove
and the award-winning Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes.
Next on his radar: Living Seashore, the exciting new exhibit slated for spring 2015. This
highly anticipated addition to the Aquarium is being built with the help of Schwartz’s philanthropy. “I think it’s going to be a killer exhibit,” Schwartz says. “I can’t wait to see it.” In
fact, he’ll probably be working it, so stop by and say hello! You’ll certainly learn something.

New Interactive
Exhibit Slated
for Next Year
The National Aquarium’s newest
addition, opening in spring 2015, will
give guests the opportunity to really
get their hands wet. Called Living
Seashore, the interactive exhibit will
feature two touchpools and a variety of
hands-on experiences, leading guests
on a journey beyond the boardwalk to
the crashing waves, sandy beaches and
shifting dunes of the ever-changing
Mid-Atlantic seashore.
With the guidance of Aquarium
interpreters, guests will be able to get
a feel (literally) for typical shoreline
inhabitants. They’ll touch the hard
shell of a horseshoe crab, the pointed
spines of a sea urchin, the bell of a
moon jelly, the smooth wing of an
Atlantic stingray and more.
“When you touch an animal or
see it, it’s a different experience,” says
longtime Aquarium donor and 26-year
volunteer Richard Schwartz, whose
generous philanthropy is helping support Living Seashore’s creation. “That’s
why I think people always want a
book. You know you can read a book
on an iPhone or an iPad, but it’s not
the same thing—at least to me—as
turning those pages.”
The 2,700-square-foot exhibit will
introduce guests to approximately
150 animals and include a digital
interactive in addition to animal touch
encounters. To learn more, visit
aqua.org/livingseashore.